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Length of trip:
6 months, starting June 2003
Route:
through the Republic of Altai, Republic of Tuva, Buryatia
Aims:
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we want to reach Lake Baikal with only horses as means of transportation
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we want to study and experience nomadic lifestyle and culture (horse- and reindeer-nomads)
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we will document both our trip and our encounters with local nomads on film
Team:
Evelyn Landerer, Austria: evelynlanderer@yahoo.de
Tom Bergsteiner, Germany:
tom_bergy@web.de
Piers Peters-Snow, Australia: pierstrout@hotmail.com
Website:
http://siberia2003.tripod.com
Description:
Vast horizons, endless valleys, wild passes and wet river crossings, crystal-clear lakes and the horse to talk to. Or to cook the last bowl of rice on the fire with pain in the back, missing a shower and a bed?
What is it like to travel with horses through wilderness, packing the horses every day just to unload them a few dozen kilometers on ward?
It is important for us not to be dependent on motorized vehicles. All our equipment will be transported on packhorses. Thus we do not have to use roads.
Our special interest lies in the nomadic culture of three tribes of reindeer people living in the area. They live in mountainous taiga and move up to 12 times a year to give their reindeer best grazing.
Film:
Our camera-operator Tom will film and document both our ride on horseback and our encounters with local nomads. We use a Canon XL 1 Mini DV Camcorder to achieve both minimal pack size and weight and the standard of television channels. We use especially constructed solar panels for energy supply.
Map:
We fly to Barnaul, take the bus to Gorno-Altaisk. We will see where we can find suitable horses and start riding towards Kyzyl (Tuva). The exact route is depending on the availability of grazing and water for the horses and on the possibility to cross rivers and mountain passes.
Media:
On the website of the Long Riders' Guild (www.thelongridersguild.com) there will be a report about our expedition together with updates and interviews.
In the online horse magazin Hufgeflüster (www.hufgefluester.de) you can read about our trip after we have returned, including interviews and photos.
will probably issue an article about how filming a horse-trek is accomplished.
Evelyn Landerer:
Exploring a country on horseback has become a passion for me since my first horse-trek in Mongolia in 1995 , followed by two more trips in 1996 and 2000.
I currently live in Tirol, Austria, in the middle of wonderful mountains, where I work as a physicist in research and development. I love nature and the outdoors, love skitouring and sleeping in a bivvy bag on some mountain top. I take great interest in theatre and opera and was for a while a big 'Hamlet-o-maniac'.
Nomadism in all forms, from traditional animal husbandry nomadism to modern backpackers, fascinates me enormously. I am intrigued to see how my focus, my thinking and my approach to life changes whether I am living settled down or living on horseback. I love talking to nomads who follow their animals.
Together with the World Reindeer Herders Association I work on a project to help mountain taiga reindeer nomads (http://reindeerrun.tripod.com).
I am member of the Long Riders' Guild (www.thelongridersguild.com), which brings together people from all over the world who rode more than 1000 miles on a continuous horse-trek.
Tom Bergsteiner:
When I was in my early twenties, I studied mechanical engineering at
the University of Technology in Munich. But just after a couple of years, I
decided to take a big break. To fullfill my dream of a so called RTW
(round the world) trip, I started to work on a construction site in my
hometown.
After six months of hard work, I had gathered enough money to tour
round the USA, Canada, Alaska, Malaysia and Nepal in 1992.
Being totally fascinated by traveling I soon applied for a job as a secondary camera assistant for the Bavarian Television Network. From now on, I could afford one big journey almost every year.
I traveled round Australia,Tibet, Pakistan, East-Africa, Iceland, Morocco, New Zealand and Norway, just to name a few. Moreover, I took part in a development aid project in a remote village in the Nepal Himalayas in 1996, which was a great experiance for me.
The mini-expeditions I did in these countries lead to the mountains of
the Himalayas, the Karakoram, the High Atlas and Mount Kilimanjaro.
In the meantime I also learned a lot about making movies and
documentaries. After finishing my second study at the Governmental Technical College for Optics and Photography in Berlin in 1999, I began working as a freelance Cameraman and -assistant. I was always dreaming of doing a big film about an expedition like this.
And if there is nothing to record on film or video, I teach Karate in the evenings.
Piers Peters-Snow:
I am a 30 year old Australian, currently teaching English in Taiwan and have realized that I need out and to explore a bit more of the great planet. Before I came here I was working as a research assistant on Lord Howe Island studying the endangered species of providence petrels and as a forest officer in East Gippsland (Victoria) doing forest assessments.
I have spent time working on numerous conservation projects in South East Australia, for instance at the Great Australian Marine Park Whale Sanctuary. I have spent a considerable amount of time living in remote and isolated communities doing a variety of jobs.
I graduated from Charles Sturt University with a degree of Applied Science in Ecotourism and worked for the government as a forest officer and seasonal firefighter in the Alpine country. I have a lot of time in the outdoors enjoying my passion for the outdoors and sleeping under a ceiling of stars.
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